Armstrong's disgrace

Like many Americans, for years I wanted to believe Lance Armstrong. He had the aura of a hero, a testicular cancer survivor's story and seven consecutive Tour de France victories ("Armstrong lays out story of his doping," Jan. 18).

In hindsight, the scenario was too perfect. For so long, we truly wanted to believe while not allowing our minds to ponder the unthinkable.

At one time, Armstrong walked on rarefied air. He was an international megastar, and he was one of our own. That same air is suddenly rife with the stench of a cheat, a liar and a scourge of the masses who once revered him.